Dad Turns 70

A short time after our visit to Massachusetts, my dad flew up to Ottawa for HIS 70th birthday. He'd never seen Lucas or the Ottawa Senators so we figured flying him up here in November would kill two birds with one stone.

My dad loves fruit pies so we got him one of those instead of a cake for his birthday.

He brought this hockey jersey for Lucas. It may be a few years before we can let him wear it in public. :)

Lucas and my dad making faces at the hockey game. I think Lucas looks possessed. It was a good game though the Sens lost in overtime to the Wild.

Posing with Karlsson and Toews after the game.

I didn't get any pictures from Lucas's game, but my dad enjoyed finally seeing Lucas on the ice. His team lost, but he had a great game so it turned out okay.

Mom Turns 70

Recently, both of my parents turned 70. To celebrate, we wanted to do something special for both of them. Since my mom lives within driving distance, we planned a surprise visit with the help of Kevin. We met up with them in Springfield, MA, at one of their favorite restaurants, a German place named The Student Prince. Even though we arrived a half hour early to find a good hiding spot in the back, we almost got caught as we turned the corner of the street the restaurant was on since my mom and Kevin were just opening the door. I yanked Lucas back around the corner and then we waited a few minutes for them to settle in. Luckily, they were at the bar so we snuck around behind the bar, and with my mom's back to me, I walked up and asked them for their drink order. My mom turned around to answer, and when she saw me, she just about screamed. So mission accomplished! The surprise worked!

We got the waitress to take a picture of our whole motley crew. Family friends Nancy and Bobby joined us shortly after we arrived, in case you're wondering about the extras. As you can see from the background, the restaurant has quite a bit of character,

A nice one of Lucas and Grammy.

And an abnormal one, as only Lucas can do it.

Back at the house, the king rests on his throne.

Birthday cake time! (that's their neighbor Kyle in the background)

During our visit to Webster earlier in the summer, I bought a foosball table that was on clearance at a great price ($30). I didn't have time to put it together then so Lucas begged me on our first night this visit to build it. I got about halfway through the first night and then completed it the next day. We decided to have a foosball tournament, and I think everybody had a good time. I may be a little biased since I was undefeated, and my closest score was 10-2. :)  Seriously though, a fun time was had by all. I think Kevin was just happy it wasn't a board game.

And that was our whirlwind trip to Massachusetts. In the next post, I'll cover my dad's trip to Ottawa.

Halloween 2016

I have to be at work soon so this is going to be a quick post of last night's Halloween activities.

Prior to trick or treating, we got a couple of shots of Lucas in his costume. This year, he decided to go with the villain from Scream. As an added bonus, the mask had a pump that allowed it to look like blood was dripping down the face. Pretty cool, actually.

Here's Lucas, before the mask goes on.

I guess this pose is called a dab or something like that. Kids these days.

And here's the mask in all its glory.

I decided to forego intricate pumpkin carvings this year with something a little more action-oriented. The vomiting one, in particular, got a lot of comments from trick or treaters.

Lucas's trick or treat partner was his best friend Zach. Unlike last year, when we completely forgot to take photos of them in costume, we got this one before they dove into their candy stashes.

And speaking of stashes, here's the dragon and his hoard.